Blandford1969

February 13

1 hour ago, westernviscount said:

I am doing well to manage and ignore these feelings and to accept that I want to do railway modelling stuff and that is totally fine.

Totally have felt that and for years achieved nothing. I was my now 10 year old a couple of months ago saying 'dad what are you actually doing with all this stuff' that helped me. Like you I feel guilty for doing it and then worried I will miss something that needs attention in one of my Facebook groups and that destroys hours, no probably days.

Do you find the more you do the easier it gets?

February 2

My mojo has been mixed. Having finished one reorganisation we are now working on another which always weighs on me despite it not being my decision, nor can I alter what may or may not happen. However that feeling of good people may end up out of work always bothers me.

I have had knock back after knock back on looking for a new job, although finally one I thought was ghosting me has come back for a second interview this week and invited me back for a third in a couple of weeks to meet the General Manager. I have even managed to do a little bit of modelling. Perhaps foolishly it was working on a Brassmasters Fowler tender chassis. I nver thought building the brakes could take that long. Even though they are great.

I had a boast in the week that rather than owing tax, I will even get a very small tax refund. A couple of little chinks of light.

Hope everyone else is doing ok at the moment.

January 31

11 hours ago, Pebbles said:

You will find reference to this drawing on Mikemeg's Workbench 28th February 2021. You may remember, as you commented on it at the time. Should you obtain a copy I'm sure we will all be grateful for any feed back.

I did look Drawing 16694 is the self trimming tank to suit GC frame referening D49 rebuilds. However 16940 is a self trimming tender for the D20 from March 1947, which does tie in with when the changes were made. I will have a punt and try to fin out how much it would be to get a copy of the drawing. This is the only one in the Darlinton catelogue which is for a D20 tender.

January 30

2 hours ago, Nick Lawson said:

Presumably, in the smaller engines the large reversing lever sticking out of the floor didn't help? (The larger engines having a horizontal screw reverser ahead of the driver).

More that with a Pannier the seat is to the side of the reverser and in most places the reverser is in the way and the seat is so low down you cant see out over the tanks. With the Praries again the seat is so low you can't see out.

January 30

12 hours ago, Daddyman said:

That then raises the question of what pattern bulkhead - NER or GS? I'd go for GS given that the tender rear followed GS pattern.

The small bits we can see do look more GS than NE. Unless there is a drawing we will never know for sure.

January 30

21 hours ago, Pebbles said:

Drawing 404 clearly indicates a 8ft 6inch width for the replacement tanks, i.e. a NER 4126 gal tender width. The small indents at the front locating the hand rails were presumably to match the 8ft width of the 3940 gal non-self trimming tender.

Does that mean drawing 404 is of one of these tenders?

January 29

You can't sit down and drive a Pannier or Prarie and see out. Yes you can sit when driving a Manor , Castle, Hall etc. Again Panniers and Praries are not really suited to a fireman sitting down as again they cant see where you are going. On the bigger engines they may have sat down. They are small and not the comfortanle to sit on in motion anyway.

January 29

12 hours ago, Daddyman said:

The drawing shows the "outer" tender side (for want of a better term) extending to the front edge of the footplate, and the handrail attached to it, whereas in reality I think the side stops short of the front footplate edge to reveal an "inner" section of side on which the handrail is mounted. The drawing also shows a straight diagonal leading edge to the front cut-out, when in reality it has an S-shaped double curve.

Clicking on the photo below allows it to be blown up.

Thanks for that photo and detail. Its always the way where you draw something and then somthing else comes out. One of those cases where I will be happy to redraw. That piece seems as you say to come right to the very front of the drawbar.

January 28

From looking at the best photos I could find manipulation to get it about square and then lots of comparing lines and angles this is what I got to. In terms of the filler it seemed to be about the size and height of one on a Q6/7 etc. From conversations elsewhere the front bulkhead is basicly a NE one like a B16/Q6 etc. The sides by the way are the same lenght as the original tender body.

Hope that helps.

January 27

13 hours ago, micklner said:

Try here

charlesarthurk@aol.com

His daughter is now looking after the kits.

Is that just the ones which had been released, or does has there been any progress on the Q7?

January 27

6 hours ago, rowanj said:

NorthEastern Kits recently did a run of the D20, and I managed to get one. I'm at the very early stage of the build, but one thing I hope to do is build 62383, one of the locos based at Alnmouth which had a rebuilt tender top more or less akin to the smaller GS3500 Gallon version. Whether I get away with this without spoiling the tender remains to be seen, but I have begun to cut out the sides.

The photo shows how the new tender, in my opinion, does nothing for the sleek looks of the loco when it was paired with an original ex-NER version, However this will give me an appropriate loco for the layout, and provide a counterpoint to the DJH version I built some time ago,

I'll post a photo of that version here for comparison purposes. If I remember correctly, the kit was of a saturated (original) loco, with a short smokebox and Worsdell frames, which I extended and replaced with the Raven version. The DJH tender was replaced by one from Dave Alexander, and is now towed behind a J39.

I have been looking at this modified tender too. I have managed to find a near side on photo and then do a very basic drawing. I will scan it and post it tomorrow. Not sure if it will help but it might

January 25

8 hours ago, Ian M. said:

Are any of those rear tender views while in SDJR or early LMS service per chance? Also, do any show the full rear-end and do they have tender and/or capacity plates? I have a theory, unverified by any photo evidence, that as delivered and upon assumption by LMS in 1930, the 1925 batch of 7Fs probably had just brass capacity plates but no tender number plates since they pre-dated 1927-28 when LMS started adding these (right?)

Sadly not , all in BR days. As for the tender capacity plates, will have to check.

January 23

7 minutes ago, lezz01 said:

It's nice to see someone else other than myself using a jeweller's Pin.

Regards Lez.

It gets alot of use. Lets face it scratchbuilding may be slow but it really is satisfying

Best wishes

Duncan

January 23

Going back to the whole ready to run / kit debate. Sometimes I can see why it is just easier. You will be aware I have multiple projects on the go from all sorts of areas, just things I like. Its a way of coping with my own anxieties and they progress in a glacial way with my mojo. However last weekend I finally got on with making the corner pieces for a 97xx. The bunker is ok its just the way the photo seems to have come out. I checked.

In doing it I learned why some of the GW bunkers I have looked into while driving have a bit let in on the curve. Its easier. Anyway here you go . I also found that the only way to attach them was to use a strenghening rib over both bits, like the prototype. The photos show the order, trying to cut from one bit of brass in 4mm is very, very, very hard. Doing them took about 1 and a half hours.

Meanwhile the D20/2 has been put onto the footplate and now needs cutting prior to fitting the valences (I know backwards for many)

January 20

21 hours ago, 30368 said:

HI,

Brake valve casting is from Branchlines and very good they are too.

Kind regards,

Richard B

Cheers, I will look that out.

January 19

Where did you get the brake valve from it does not look like DJH.

January 19

23 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

It is disappointing that so many "modellers" claim they don't have the ability or skill to build models from kits.

None of are skilled when we are born. We have to learn to walk, talk, draw, paint, ride a bike, play golf, solder, make a bacon sandwich, the list is endless. We learn because we have to or want to. Perhaps too many people, increasingly want to be spoon fed in many walks of life (how often do you hear "somebody should do something about it").

If you want to create a model of a place, a period of time, etc. than you will make the effort to do what is required. The alternative is to create a layout around what others manufacture, which can have its limitations. That appears to be the route most bpeople are happy to tread.

With the way prices are rising for ready to run, kits are becoming less expensive in real terms. It just sadly seems so many want everything doing for them, but in doing so miss out on the pleasure of saying 'I built that' and that each is unique to us.

January 17

A quick flick through photos of the later batch certainly supports them not having breathers and therefore no scoop. The only views of 7/8/ and 9 I have showing the rear all show a dome. However we know tenders swapped around.

January 13

Here is the drawing

And the file is attached as well. Hope they are of use

Stanier 262 tanks details 1.xlsx

January 12

50 minutes ago, Keith Turbutt said:

Hi Blandford1969,

It would appear that the file of your workbook attached with your posting in 2020 got wiped in the RMweb server crash around that time. If you still have a copy of this file could you please repost it here as several of us would like to download it for our reference.

Many thanks

Hi Keith,

Thanks I will dig it out along with the drawings I prepared and re upload

January 9

21 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

I'd love to see TV in malachite with sunshine lettering, just to rub it in.

When's the new build supposed to be finished?

From memory TV hopefully by the end of the year.

January 9

11 hours ago, John Besley said:

I for one am looking forward to that day having hatched the project back in 1997 on the footplate at Buckfastleigh talking to Dave Knowling.... and the rest is history

Lots of us too. You really have to be thanked for ever in starting the project which has grown.. When it first came some drivers mocked it saying it would never happen. Something they will be reminded about when it takes to the rails. My bits may only be small in measuring bits on 80079 which were common but no drawing existed and preparing some basic drawings, but at least I can say I did a bit.

Hopefully by then we will have services from Bridgnorth and being a class 3 will be perfectly suited to the slightly smaller trains starting from there so it will not have to go to the south end, lol.

January 9

11 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

You can follow progress here.

82045 news

It’s a brave man that makes predictions but the boiler is making progress and she is starting to look like a Standard 3mt tank ….

The pipework around the lubricators ie a work of art!

January 8

21 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Locos coming out of ticket now seem to be facing an uncertain future. One would hope those with private owners have a more secure future on the SVR than company owned assets but it remains to be seen … has a decision been made on 2857 yet? The owning society had a good presence at Kidderminster over the weekend , let’s hope that’s a good omen.

The 2857 group have followed the 4566 group in moving to a trust so that the challenges the pig faces can be avoided. I'm not sure the pigs future is uncertain. It will just be much delayed whilst things are sorted out. I hope certain things now in play might help to resolve those issues. Both those groups were raising money at Kidder towards working towards having more money to put forward for overhalls.

The company now only owns Gordon - there are certain covenants in place which prevents its sale and Hagley Hall. The Babby aka Hinton Manor is owned by the Charitable Trust. All the other locos are owned by individual groups or individuals.

The challenges are the ever increasing costs of restoration of locos.

That being said the railway overall is in a better financial position than it was this time last year. Less paid staff and heads of heads of heads means we are making more headway. Its not out of the woods yet, but moving in the right direction.

On the plus side 4150 should be finished this year with 82045 not far behind along with TV from its intermediate overhaul and 7802 with its new cylinder.

January 7

23 minutes ago, rogerzilla said:

Went today. Last trip behind the Flying Pig, with "THE END" chalked on the smokebox door. All running to time and they'd lit the waiting room fires. The only overcrowding was on the afternoon Pig-hauled service from Bridgnorth, either because it was the Pig or because there was a huge gap between it and the preceding train - we were at Highley for 90 minutes.

It was the last day of the pgs boiler ticket. Its been incredible and such a great loco. None of us know when she might be restored again as there are complications with some of the shareholders having passed away and stories of the children of one wanting the engine selling to 'get their money' It needs alot spending, for a start is a complete new set of tyres!. I'd love to drive her again in my lifetime but who knows.

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